Within You
by JuliaBlu
Summary: It has been ten years and Sarah is 24, her little brother 10. Meanwhile, the Goblin King has lain dormant, waiting to be revived. Watch as the situation reverses: Sarah is kidnapped and Toby must save her. But does she want to be saved?
1. Second Chance

Hey all! I hope you enjoy. Juliablu84

It had been raining nonstop for two solid weeks. On this particularly gloomy night, Sarah's tears also seemed unending. Depression had locked her inside its blue cage and Sarah could not find the key to unlock it. Her tears had swept it into the flood outside.

Suddenly, she brought her face up from her pillow, and her melancholy turned to rage. She went to her closet and found her memory box, filled with precious knickknacks she couldn't let go of.

Her shaking hands fell upon the love letters. _Nothing will separate us. I love you, Sarah. Adrian_

She found another: _Happy Birthday! I look forward to spending it with you. I love you. Adrian_

And another: _You are the only woman I will ever love. Adrian_

"You lying, cheating bastard!" she cried, tears staining the ink. She tore each letter in her hands, watching the paper fly like prizes from a piñata. She took a dried rose he had made for her and crumpled it into nothing. She searched for more letters and stopped when she came to a familiar red book. It's cover read "LABYRINTH."

She paused, wiping the tears that clouded her vision. The memories of her events in the Labyrinth came back to her, each image clearer than her dark room, each sound louder than the pouring rain. She wanted to go back, to visit everyone, to flee this depression… Then she heard a voice.

"You know, all I wanted was for you to love me."

Sarah turned, her heart in her throat. There stood Jareth with a sweeping black cloak, a face that hadn't aged a day and a small smirk. He continued.

"But you were too young to see it. I tried to let you live your dream fully, for you see, our dream is the same. But you sacrificed what you truly wanted for your brother's safety… as I knew you would do. I knew it when, in that illusion of staircases, you searched frantically for your brother, with a love and concern I had never felt." He looked at her, smiling sadly. "I couldn't live within you. But _now_… you want to revive that dream?"

"Jareth… it's… it's really you?"

"Of course, my lovely," he said in that soothing tone. "Is that really _you_? You've matured." His eyes wandered over her chest and thighs, her hourglass figure, and she could feel his gaze like a burn. For some reason, it made her ache with loneliness.

"My dream… it broke. Long ago," she said, shaking her head.

"Into a thousand pieces," he said matter-of-factly. "But we can fix it, Sarah. We can find each shard, and put the dream back together. You can leave this place, and come with me." Jareth felt a buried emotion tug at him, and he stepped towards her, and ran his hand against her cheek.

"You're eyes are the same, but they do not defy me this moment," he said, a sad longing in his eyes that Sarah noticed for this first time. "I've missed you."

"You're words…" she said, intoxicated. "Before… I thought they were just to distract me from Toby. But now—"

"There is nothing I can distract you from," he finished, "except this cold, dark room."

Suddenly, she found herself in his arms, and she liked the comforting embrace, and the smell of leather that he possessed. Before, she had to deny that she loved Jareth. She was too young for her own dream, but now—

"Jareth," Sarah said, seeing the Goblin King in a new light. "Take me with you."

A peculiar expression flittered across Jareth's face: a brief look of doubt and sadness. But he quickly countered it with a smile and whispered into her ear, "That's all you had to say, lovely."


	2. Questions

**Hey guys! I hope ya like it. Juliablu84**

Chapter 2- Questions

When Toby stepped into his sister's house, he was not greeted with welcome. Instead,an image flashed through his head, just briefly: his mind was a television, and the channels were flipping, but then- _bam_- it stopped on red and white stripes… and the feeling of being lifted. He dismissed the thought and stared around, his eyes innocently wide, two blue marbles of love.

The flat was strangely empty. "Sarah?" His voice was hollow.

What was going on? She was supposed to be home. Something told him to come over to her tiny apartment. He and his mother Karen (Sarah's stepmother) were staying in town for the weekend visiting her. Earlier that evening, Sarah had asked them to leave. The melancholy in her eyes as she spoke the request frightened Toby. Their hotel was only a few blocks away, so Toby told Karen he was going for a walk as an excuse to check on her. He was already out the door before Karen could express her concern about the dreadful rainfall. And now he was here, driven by a ghost of a thought: Hurry, Toby, hurry! She's leaving!

Though only ten, Toby had the insight of someone well beyond his years. Without further hesitation, he ran tantivy past the den and to her room.

BAM! He jerked open the door. Her large window was wide open; purple drapes fluttered like two dancers at a masquerade. Why that mental image seemed so normal to him he could not guess. He stood on the windowsill, body drenched with the rain. The full moon evoked a powerful image as well…

The image of a crystal.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Jareth marveled at the goddess lying in front of him. He didn't touch her, but looked at her through the eyes of a man who has never known love. He trembled with excitement: to think, they could rule together in happiness for an eternity!

Goblins crept forward, examining the fair maiden. "Get back," Jareth said. His harsh words could not disrupt the hope in their eyes. A few of them tried to touch her hair and her flowing white dress (which she now magically adorned thanks to the Goblin King). "No!" he said in a hushed whisper. They did not disobey their King. "I must be with her… alone."

When crowd dispersed, Jareth let out a small sigh. Finally. How this very room had tormented him days before, but now--!

Should he…? He leaned forward, his leather-gloved hand prepared to caress her face. One little stroke and her eyes fluttered open. He jumped back a little, surprised. "Sorry," he breathed. Then he smiled broadly. "Welcome."

_Oh God, that sounded so stupid._

Sarah didn't seem to mind. She blinked up at him, and then scanned the large stone chamber. Her eyes did not criticize or glow with joy, they merely accepted, and he was fine with that.

He sat down on the bed next to her. "How are you feeling?"

She looked down, and then met his eyes. Oh, her deep, brown eyes, staring at him sweetly! He could hardly believe it. "I'm fine. Better, now that I'm away from that rain and darkness."

Sarah sat up and grew interested in something across the room. Jareth saw she was walking towards a mask placed on the mantle. He strolled up slowly behind her. "I wore that… to the ball," he said in her ear.

She turned, slightly startled. "I remember." He was smiling, and she took comfort in it. She placed her hand in his. "I wish… I remembered the steps... from that night."

Jareth placed his hand on her back, tentatively, and soon she was following his lead. He was spinning her in a circle.

Suddenly, she stopped, and just hugged him. His embrace was so enticing- it sent a pleasant tingling up her arms. "Jareth, you saved me."

He brought his face down into her hair and inhaled. "Sarah. I feel like I can finally love you."

Sarah intertwined her hand in his. Then, slowly, she pulled the glove off. He instantly understood. He took his bare hand, and touched her cheek. She smiled. "I want to feel your real hands," she said.

"Yes."

Her eyes flickered to the door. "Jareth," she said. "This is kind of sudden for me. Can I… go out and get a breath of fresh air? I need some time to think."

Thought disappointed, Jareth knew how exhausted and confused she was inside. Who wouldn't need time to think after such a shock? Sarah was back in the Labyrinth after ten years of blocking it out of her memory!

"Certainly. In fact, now's a good time for you to enjoy some renovations I've made. Allow me..."

Sarah had blinked, and suddenly, she was seated by a glistening pond and surrounded by exotic trees, all swaying in the breeze. She was in a perfectly magical garden. She looked up- Jareth was peering down at her from a tower window.

"Just say the word when you're ready to come back up," he spoke to her mind.

She understood and then dangled her feet in the water. The moonlight played across her skin, making her glow. She was relaxed. "I can't believe this," she said to herself. Inside, she was questioning her love for Jareth. "How do I know what to believe? I've had such a bad history with men. No… just relax, Sarah." She sighed and admired the beauty of the trees, unaware that someone was spying on her… and it wasn't Jareth.

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Toby's eyes were glazed. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? The pitiful block of apartment buildings was transformed into a fantastic landscape. It looked like a snaking wall was guarding a city. Why did this seem so familiar to him?

The rain was evaporating around him. Suddenly, a glass crystal dropped into his hand. He stared at it. FLASH! He recalled a man with blonde hair and two distinctly different eyes making such a crystal out of thin air. "I shall teach you how to make these, to control your surroundings, my little Jareth."

JARETH! That name was like a blow to Toby's head. "Yes. Jareth. I remember him making them… and showing me so I would learn and follow in his footsteps. But… is this just a dream of mine?"

Toby did not understand the power he held in his hand. He also couldn't explain why, at that moment, he felt like going forward into this strange new place.

"Well, come on feet."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Though Jareth's heart was light, a long-harbored fear crept into his mind. He looked out into the night for the millionth time with a frown on his face.

"She denied you once, Jareth. What if she denies you again?" a voice asked him.

"I love her. I'll protect her. That's what I did then. She knows that. I would not allow her to be hurt."

"But what of the child you stole?"

"Oh, we've been through this before. I only did what was asked of me."

"Your heart was and is cruel."

Jareth stopped on that hurtful remark. "I needed an heir. And… where it not for her journey through the Labyrinth… I…" He stared out of the window, his gaze transfixed. "I would have never known love."

"A part of you must change, Jareth, for Sarah to truly accept you. You must show mercy to the neighboring kingdoms. Change your plans of conquest. Otherwise you are still cruel."

"You don't understand. She… she has softened my heart. I… love her so much." Jareth placed a hand over his eyes as hot tears splashed down his face. "Please Sarah… stay with me… I love you so much. If… if… I lose you… I couldn't live." He wiped the tears away and looked at the moon. Sighing, he turned to his bed, his black robe billowing behind him.

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Sarah peered down into the water, examining her reflection… and her heart's intentions. "Who knows?" she asked herself. "Perhaps everything will turn out all—" She couldn't finish. The words had stuck in her throat at the appearance of a dark, brooding figure next to her reflection.


	3. Charming by Nature

Hey guys, I'm sorry this took so long to put up. I've really slowed down with my writing, but I got such a positive response with this story, I knew you guys deserved a new chapter, so I wrote one. Enjoy. JuliaBlu

Chapter 3- Charming by Nature

Her heart was thudding so fast. She watched through the water as the figure stepped closer. She was a frozen, helpless statue. "Don't come nearer!" she said, tight-lipped.

The figure put its hand on her shoulder. She screamed and spun around at the leathery touch.

"Sarah!"

She blinked. "Hoggle?" There before her was the little man she hadn't seen in a decade. "It's really you?" His height was the same, maybe a bit shorter, and his bushy eyebrows, presently raised at her in question, had grayed, she noted.

"I can't believe this… Sarah? It's been years." He poked her leg. "It's great to see you! I still have your plastic bracelet!" He shook his wrist, and the jewels jangled jocundly as he began laughing and crying at once. "You really came back."

She smiled at him, feeling awkward. Hoggle's expression suddenly became grave. "Oh… but, Sarah, what are you doing in Jareth's garden?"

Sarah blushed. "I guess… it's obvious, isn't it Hoggle?"

Hoggle shook his head fervently and looked up to the window where Jareth had been minutes before. "No, Sarah, no, no, no. You can't…"

"Can't you just be happy that I've returned and not worry about the reason?" She reached forward and gave him a hug. He wasn't moved. She smiled weakly, trying to let him see that she was fine, when in fact her head was spinning with troubles.

Hoggle was not convinced. He pulled away and said, "Don't get yourself involved with Jareth! He may be enticing, lull you into his secure network, make false promises, but it's all for his own gain. He's just charming by nature, Sarah, but don't be fooled. Believe me. I should have never been his accomplice."

"Hoggle, we've been through this before. But… I'm older now. You can't understand what went on between Jareth and I before. The meaning of it."

"Are you an idiot, Sarah!" Hoggle screamed. "He kidnapped your brother, made you go through a perilous journey, a journey where you could have died! He didn't care. He just wanted your brother, and wanted to abandon you, leave you mindless, waltzing through a dream…"

"He did care! He loved me, Hoggle, and he still does. He wasn't going to let anything harm me. The fact is, I was too young then to understand. There were too many things in the way of our love, Toby for one, but now—"

"He was going to trap you inside a world where you would forget everything! You call that love?"

Sarah sat up from her seat by the pond. Her heart ached as she remembered the masquerade. "A world," she thought, "where it would be just us."

"Hoggle—that was the past, and there's where I have to leave it. We… we love each other."

Hoggle began to walk away. "You can't be with him. He's trying to enslave everyone and everything and conquer the Underground." He chuckled bitterly. "Why, with you by his side, he'll just be one step closer to utter domination of this world. You'll be his Goblin Queen and he'll procreate, carrying on the evil legacy that's ensnaring us all. That's what he really cares about, Sarah."

Sarah said nothing. Was Hoggle right? This was so confusing. She knew Jareth must be confused, too. Was love strong enough to keep them together? Or was she chasing a dream?

"Why are YOU here?" she asked suddenly in her fury.

Hoggle was quiet. "It's strange. Perhaps my feet stumbled this way because I was meant to run into you… to warn you," he said earnestly, his eyes shining, "to STAY AWAY from JARETH!"

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Toby made his way. He approached the towering, rustic orange gates just as his sister did long ago, except this time there was no one to guide him. He went in, wondering why the world was so silent, so nostalgic…

"I feel like I've been here," he said. "And… I wonder where Sarah's gone. I feel like she's here, too."

"Yes, Toby…" He jumped up at the willowy, echoing voice speaking to him from thin air. But then he looked at the crystal in his hand and realized.

"Holy cow!" he screeched. "You're talking?"

"Toby," said a voice from the clear crystal, "you must go to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth and save your sister. She is trapped by the Goblin King. You must go quickly, Toby! YOU MUST HURRY!"

He was so spooked already that he felt obliged to obey the ominous commands. He scrambled down the rigid, narrow path, wondering what would come next.

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As the silhouette of Hoggle disappeared into night, Jareth asked lazily, "Did you enjoy some relaxing, tantalizing fresh air?"

Startled, she turned her face up the window to find he was standing next to her. "I guess. Did you…"

"See Hoggle? Yes, unfortunately."

"He's my friend," she said defensively. "He was just trying to…"

"Ward you away from me? Yes. I think most people try to do that. They misunderstand me so."

She looked at him sadly. She wasn't sure how to feel, as she cared for the both of them very much. He opened his arms. "Come."

She returned his hug and then found they were going back to his room together in a sort of instant teleportation.

"Sarah, I'm sorry about… the past. I think we both agree that you were just too young. It was not the season for our love to blossom."

He spun her and then she let go of his hand and let her arm fall like a wilting flower at her side. Reservedly, she sat down on his bed, contemplating what Hoggle had said.

"Are you… trying to extend your reign beyond the Goblin City?" she asked timidly.

"Well, it'd be nice. I mean—"

"Because maybe you shouldn't. Unless, of course, you did it peacefully—"

"Sarah," he said, placing his hand over her lips. "My only priority right now is you."

"Convince me that you're telling the truth."

Jareth was beginning to feel glum. In truth, he had been meditating on plans of conquest. But he didn't want her to worry about that right now.

"Convince me," she added, "that you're not hurting people… or enslaving them."

"Of course not!" he said angrily. "Sarah, ever since you left, I've done… nothing." He choked off the last word despairingly. "Nothing! My whole world was shattered at your rejection. I've tried making something of my life, but I couldn't start over." Sarah felt so sorry for him. He was almost going to cry. "I've only hoped you would come back to me, and now that you're here, I can't lose you again."

Sarah came forward and embraced him. Yes, they were both confused about what was right and wrong. Sarah had gone through the perils of heartbreak in the mortal world, and was opening her arms to its possibilities again, and to a past that could become a permanent part of her future. Meanwhile, Jareth was struggling with his morality and condition against Sarah's opinions. While he wanted to please her and love her, he didn't know how to resolve his inner goals of being a King without upsetting her. But now, he seemed to have made his mind up about one thing…

"Sarah, I'm willing to be a better person for your sake. As long as we can live peacefully, that's all that really matters." He smiled at her devilishly. Why had she fallen for him? Such a sensual creature, with unique, vortex eyes. She laid on her back on the comforting white bed. He leaned forward, caressing her face with his hand.

"How I've wanted you… for so long." He smiled sweetly.

A tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm just happy to be here with you."

Instead of worrying, they reached for each other.

As he leaned forward, and they kissed a long, sweet, exciting kiss, Sarah thought, "Hoggle's right. He is charming by nature."

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Toby stopped in his tracks and stared into the crystal. He saw the Goblin King with his sister. "That weirdo's trying to rape Sarah!" he said incredulously. "I've got to save her!" The image blurred as he put it in his pocket as he ran farther down the path, his heart swelling with anger.


End file.
